Roland

FM VERDICT
8.5
It lags behind some rivals on
the sampling front, but on
the whole, the MC-707 is
powerful, well-designed and
a lot of fun
PADS: The bank of pads is used for
performance, sequencing, triggering
clips and using the Scatter effect
MOTION: Parameter automation
can be recorded for all tracks, and is
saved as part of each clip
FADERS: As with the TR-8S, the
channel faders have good travel; nice
for jamming with multiple instruments
MASTER EFFECTS: The range of
fl exible, creative effects is a highlight
of the 707
sampled drum loop without bumping
the fi le to a computer fi rst. It sounds
like these features are on Roland’s ‘to
do’ list for future updates, but it feels
like the most notable hole in the
MC-707’s workfl ow right now.
One area where the MC-707 really
shines is its effects. As with the
TR-8S, these are divided into track
and master effects. Each track has a
multi-effect slot that can make use of
processors from 90 options, covering
everything from EQ and fi ltering to
multiple varieties of reverb and delay
model, compression, distortion and
plenty of modulated processors. The
list of effects is essentially a ‘best of’
of recent Roland gear with a few
interesting new tools chucked in. The
MC-707 also has I/O for an external
effects loop, and each track can be
routed to this before being fi nished
off with a track EQ module. At the
master level, the MC-707 has fi ve
effects slots – one master compressor,
an EQ, reverb and chorus/delay send
effects, plus a generic multi-effect
slot that can draw from the same list
as the track effects.
The Aira range’s Scatter effect
makes a return here too, selected via
the bank of 16 pads. I wasn’t that
fussed on the whole Scatter concept
when I fi rst heard it on the original
Aira range, writing it off as a bit of a
generic beat-repeat tool. It’s become
considerably more interesting in
recent iterations, however, with some
interesting granular sound mangling
effects on offer. It works particularly
well here, coupled with the ability to
resample to Looper tracks, allowing
users to capture clips of audio with
weird rhythmic effects baked-in.
The arrangement workfl ow is neat
too. As mentioned, it uses a
clip-based workfl ow that users of
Ableton Live will feel at home with.
Each track can contain up to 16 clips
that can then be triggered either
individually or as groups. As well as
audio or note info, clips also contain
parameter modulation, effects
settings and Tone or Drum patches,
meaning they can be used to switch
between totally different sounds
across a single track, which
signifi cantly widens the potential for
using the MC-707 as a live tool.
There’s no way to automatically
string clips together into a full song or
arrangement, so no way to export full
projects. This is no huge issue
though; the device can stream
individual tracks as audio via USB, so
there’s a relatively simple bridge for
getting work created on the hardware
recorded in a DAW. The same goes for
the lack of individual track outputs
– if you need to get every channel out
of the 707 individually, it can be
done via USB, but as a live tool it
makes sense to use it as a central
mixer anyway. Personally I’d rather
have the external effects loop than
use that space for additional outputs.
In all then, the MC-707 is a nicely
designed tool, and a welcome return
to this corner of the market for
Roland. Workfl ow-wise, there are
some niggles; the lack of one shot
sampling, mainly, but there’s also a
lot of menu diving. Compared to
Akai’s MPC Live, with its large
touchscreen, Roland have crammed a
lot of under-the-hood parameters into
a relatively small display. While this
means workfl ow feels more focussed
on the hardware itself, it also results
in a fair amount of shift-pressing and
scrolling through sub-menus.
Personally, I fi nd the response on
the pads a little heavyweight too
– maybe I’m just weak, but I had to
bash them to get a decent velocity
level. This is fi ne for playing drum
kits, but lacks nuance for Tone
instruments. You can change the
responsiveness in the settings, but I
still found myself resorting to using
fi xed velocities and editing later.
On the whole though, the MC-707
is powerful and well-designed, and I
can see it becoming a creative hub
for a lot of producers. From sketching
the foundations of a club track to
acting as the centrepiece of a live
setup, this latest MC ticks a lot of
boxes. Welcome back Roland.
PADS
:
The bank of pads is used for
performance, sequencing, triggering
MOTION
:
Parameter automation
can be recorded for all tracks, and is
FADERS
:
As with the TR-8S, the
channel faders have good travel; nice
MASTER EFFECTS:
The range of
fl exible, creative effects is a highlight
plenty of modulated processors. The
list of effects is essentially a ‘best of’
interesting new tools chucked in. The
MC-707 also has I/O for an external
effects loop, and each track can be
routed to this before being fi nished
off with a track EQ module. At the
master level, the MC-707 has fi ve
effects slots – one master compressor,
an EQ, reverb and chorus/delay send
effects, plus a generic multi-effect
slot that can draw from the same list
The Aira range’s Scatter effect
makes a return here too, selected via
the bank of 16 pads. I wasn’t that
fussed on the whole Scatter concept
when I fi rst heard it on the original
Aira range, writing it off as a bit of a
generic beat-repeat tool. It’s become
recent iterations, however, with some
interesting granular sound mangling
effects on offer. It works particularly
well here, coupled with the ability to
resample to Looper tracks, allowing
PADS
The bank of pads is used for
MOTION
Parameter automation
FADERS
As with the TR-8S, the
MASTER EFFECTS:
The range of
multi-effect slot that can make use of
interesting new tools chucked in. The
Roland MC-707 | Reviews
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FMU349.rev_roland_707.indd 83 04/09/2019 16:42